Ten days after their embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico, the Santiago Bernabeu suffered another tough reverse. The best thing about Real Madrid’s 3-1 loss to AC Milan from Los Blancos’ perspective was the result — which underlines how bad the situation is.
The night ended as it began: with whistles from the stadium. Those were first directed at the Champions League anthem, seemingly in protest at Vinicius Junior missing out on the UEFA-organised Ballon d’Or to Manchester City’s Rodri.
At full-time, they were aimed towards coach Carlo Ancelotti and his players, although the noise wasn’t as loud as you would expect from arguably the world’s most demanding fans.
That could be because of supporters leaving; it could be because of resignation. Either way, it sums up a total disconnect around this team.
Whether it’s Hansi Flick’s impressive Barcelona or Milan and Borussia Dortmund sides who both arrived at the Bernabeu in seventh place in their leagues, it seems as if any team can show up the reigning Spanish and European champions’ deficiencies.
It’s hard to remember such a disjointed Real Madrid, from the board to the players, from Ancelotti to the rest of the specialists involved in day-to-day work at their Valdebebas training ground.
Perhaps you could go back to the 2018-19 season, which began with Cristiano Ronaldo’s shock summer exit to Juventus and ended with more coaches (three: Julen Lopetegui, Santiago Solari and Zinedine Zidane) than titles won (one: the FIFA Club World Cup).
There was similar disappointment in the 2022-23 campaign, albeit it was more successful overall. After winning the UEFA Super Cup, the Club World Cup and the Copa del Rey but missing out on La Liga to Barcelona and being thrashed by them in the Supercopa de Espana final, the season seemed to hinge on the Champions League.
There is an unwritten rule that a Real Madrid coach doesn’t stay on if he doesn’t win La Liga and/or the Champions League, so the 4-0 drubbing they suffered against City in the semi-final second leg was interpreted by some as the end of Ancelotti. But the board maintained its commitment to the coach, as is expected to be the case again now.
Luka Modric and Toni Kroos during the 4-0 thrashing by Manchester City (James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
On that tough night at the Etihad Stadium, Toni Kroos fronted up to the media. “We will come back, it’s always like that,” he told reporters. Just over a year later, the German lifted his fifth Champions League trophy with Madrid in his last game in club football.
The dressing room is missing the retired Kroos in every way. There was a stark contrast in goalkeeper Andriy Lunin speaking in the mixed zone last night — a very professional player but one whose voice barely counts behind the scenes. Criticism towards the players for not speaking out after El Clasico seemed to have no effect.
It was just the latest demonstration that Madrid are lacking quality and personality.
They have now lost more games in the first three months of the season than in the whole of the last: three defeats in 16 games compared to two in 55 last term.
In public and private, Ancelotti acknowledges he is struggling to find the balance the team needs and the defensive solidity he considers so essential.
“Would it be unfair to blame me? No, it seems normal to me,” he told reporters last night. “When the team doesn’t perform at its best, the coach has the responsibility.”
The Italian was self-critical as ever and aware he had been singled out. But he also sent a message to the squad: “It is very important that we all take responsibility.”
Ancelotti said he didn’t believe his players were being lazy and argued the dressing room remains healthy. But multiple sources at Valdebebas — who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — have told The Athletic the atmosphere has become tense with results not going as expected.
Kylian Mbappe failed to score for the third game in a row (Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
Ancelotti doesn’t air dirty laundry in public, hence why he hasn’t complained about the board’s planning to the media. A club man, he resigned himself to the fact a centre-back wouldn’t arrive in the summer after Madrid missed out on Leny Yoro. Now, despite agreeing that with general manager Jose Angel Sanchez, he is wary of whether he will get any defensive reinforcements in January or whether they will make excuses once again.
That squad planning has been in question since nearly the start of the season. It doesn’t make sense for club sources to complain about “the toughest and most demanding (season) in history” with only two elite centre-backs in the squad, Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger. There is still no return date for the other one, David Alaba, whose serious knee injury is set to keep him out for more than a year.
You could point the finger at Lucas Vazquez, who is not performing well at right-back in the injured Dani Carvajal’s absence. It’s not so much the fault of the coach who plays him, but of those who force the coach into that decision. Ancelotti might have looked to move a centre-back to the right after Carvajal’s injury if Madrid were better stocked in central defence. But that would leave a hole in an already unrecognisable backline.
Madrid’s backline is stretched (Guillermo Martinez/Getty Images)
That could be where Aurelien Tchouameni, one of those often criticised and who was whistled by the Bernabeu yesterday, could play. The midfielder has shown his potential there in the past, but too often he plays as if he has already won three or four Champions League titles.
Even so, most players are below their potential — and Kylian Mbappe merits his own section.
It makes sense that the Frenchman needs time to adapt, but when are we expecting to see him in full flow? He has now failed to score in three consecutive games after eight goals in his first 12 matches. Where is the player widely considered to be the best in the world and the highest paid member of the squad?
There is one last point that angers president Florentino Perez and fans alike: the mysterious cases of youngsters Arda Guler and Endrick. The Turkish playmaker has played one minute in the last four games; the Brazilian hasn’t featured at all in the last five matches.
It all adds up to a worrying picture for Madrid — and it could get worse. Their next opponents in the Champions League? Liverpool at Anfield on November 27.
(Top photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images)
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